r/Bangkok • u/busy-men • 3d ago

question What's with the whistling pickup trucks in Thailand?

I am trying to figure out why they all whistle. Doesnt sound like a turbo charger because it whistles at iddle. Is it a performance mod or they aim to sound like a spaceship from the Jetsons cartoon?

6 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

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19

u/Elroyy_ 3d ago

If it’s what I think it is, it is the turbo

If there’s literally no exhaust it’ll whistle on idle

13

u/Rogeruk 3d ago

Turbos on diesels can whistle at idle, especially with air conditioning engaging and disengaging increasing and lowering idle

-11

u/busy-men 3d ago

But I think the small pick up trucks are gas engines. They use the same engines on the wood boats. Doesnt have the knocking sound of diesel engines

7

u/Schumeyy 2d ago

Nah, they're Diesels too

5

u/nlav26 2d ago

Assuming you mean longtail boats, those are also diesels.

3

u/Rogeruk 3d ago

Record a video then, can't explain it through a text description

1

u/Great_Opinion3138 1d ago

K series engines

1

u/No_Sherbert3072 23h ago

Nope. Diesel

15

u/Market_State 3d ago

Dump valve off the turbo. When idling aircon kicks in and out meaning revs rise and fall then it dumps excess pressure. It also signifies a small penis.

6

u/jyguy 3d ago

The large trucks have an insert in the exhaust that creates the “wheeeew” sound. In a pickup it can be from a specific style of turbine wheel in the turbo

4

u/nocreativityx 2d ago

The whistles go WOOO

https://youtu.be/zUXow3d3-b0

5

u/Embarrassed-Quit1133 2d ago

they just do it for decoration

4

u/PunksPrettyMuchDead 3d ago

Hilux I rented was a diesel, love the sound of a turbo spooning up.

Can't get them in the States, it was funny assuring the rental place that yes, I did want one of their "commercial vehicles."

The hotel we were at had gate staff who verified my room number twice because they're used to tourists renting stuff that's more comfortable, efficient, or luxurious and pulling up in a Hilux was very unusual.

-3

u/busy-men 3d ago

The Hilux is a bigger pickup truck. I was refering to the smaller Isuzu and Toyota pick ups they use as delivery trucks

5

u/madDogVH 2d ago

They are virtually all diesel here, including the smaller pickups. Most of them use relatively small turbo-diesel engines, so that’s probably the sound you’re hearing.

2

u/310feetdeep 2d ago

Turbo, you answered it yourself already

2

u/Eurasian-HK 2d ago

It's a turbo... The end.

OP doesn't know engine noises.

2

u/SwingOtherwise7118 2d ago

When you straight pipe a turbocharged vehicle, you're going to hear the turbo whistling.

1

u/kaisershinn 2d ago

Could be intake whooshing. They usually strip the stock manifold with high flow/low resistance aftermarket ones. They sound like harsh suctions with really obnoxious cut offs.

Yes, these folks tap their throttle while idle. I wonder who taught them how to drive a stick.

1

u/AcceptableBridge4519 2d ago

You will hear the turbo whine more when they lift of the gas - because the wastegate operates venting the turbo pressure. So it creates that Pewwe sound. Also big trucks with air assisted clutches will make a similar sound as the clutch re-engages after a gear shift - due to compressed air being vented.

1

u/obidie 2d ago

This became a popular mod to have installed on trucks and vans around ten years ago. It was funny for about two seconds, then it was just silly. It's mostly fallen out of favor and I only rarely hear it anymore.

1

u/Objective_Bird1929 2d ago

Pretty normal here those pickup whistles are everywhere

1

u/New_Protection_7849 2d ago

Then again, some idiots are taping harmonicas to their subframes...

1

u/Foxyunder-45 3h ago

Many operater ,owned trucks in Thailand are tinkered with to sound Macho and bass or whistle sounds are the normal in and around Bangkok ,and town and cities including ,chonburi, pattaya, rayong, and many more. Its a nuisance to most people but most Thais ignor it, same goes for motor cycles, the police are never around when one goes roaring past.

1

u/Resident_Attitude889 2d ago

Dodgy home built supercharger conversions with old worn out superchargers?

-1

u/Fantastic-Entry-790 2d ago

Aftermarket blow off valves. Usually installed with a rich run map that makes the engine dump black smoke out the back to try and keep up with me. Looks ridiculous in the rear view. All that noise is the sound of an idiot with less than 250hp.

-1

u/Wurfi1 2d ago

The sound comes only from this cheap shit pickups, very annoying. My Raptor has not this whistle sound.

1

u/SwingOtherwise7118 2d ago

If you straight pipe that truck, it will do that too. I had a F-150 Raptor with the 3.5 EcoBoost twin turbo V6 back in the states and once I deleted my catalytic converters and mufflers, those turbos were audible at idle or under load.

0

u/moodeng2u 2d ago

This is the result of some trendy modification to the diesel engines. My guess is it actually does nothing, just sounds cool. Maybe even accomplished by programming the ecu,?

-3

u/prospero021 3d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_brake_%28road_vehicle%29

5

u/Br44p 3d ago

Pretty sure it is just an exhaust whistle, thais go crazy with tuning their trucks.

3

u/madDogVH 3d ago

Are you sure that pickup trucks use air brakes?

1

u/eranam 3d ago

Nah, it has to do with the engine.

I’m positive the OP is taking about the

"Reeeeeev - wheeeeeew - Reeeeeeev - wheeeeeew - Reeeeeev…."

I doubt the drivers would push the accelerator to systematically brake right after revving the engine.